


Black on Black

by GwendolynGrace



Series: Blackstory [4]
Category: Alternity - A Harry Potter Alternate Universe, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter Alternity - Fandom
Genre: Blackstory, Canon Backstory, Canon Compliant, Gen, HP Alternity, RPG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:17:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4757846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwendolynGrace/pseuds/GwendolynGrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regulus and Sirius go to visit their father's parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black on Black

**Author's Note:**

> Written 2008-2010. This is one of a series of "Blackstory" - backstory about the Blacks - that I wrote while playing in the RPG, HP Alternity. The actions of the characters were approved by players at the time of writing. Because the stories occur prior to our divergence from canon, they are also largely canon-compliant.

1966

'Why are we going to Grandfather and Grandmother's?' Regulus asked Sirius, arms crossed.

'Because Mother and Father are going away on a holiday,' Sirius sighed. 'Are you sure Kreacher packed your extra jumper?'

'No, I mean why can't we just stay here?' He flopped down on his brother's bed. 'Kreacher'd take care of us.'

'Because they can't leave us with Kreacher for a whole week,' Sirius answered. 'Do you have your penguin?'

Regulus sighed heavily. 'I don't _need_ Ferdinand,' he insisted of the stuffed animal, named for the wizard who'd discovered Antarctica. 'I'm not a baby. And they could come here, then we wouldn't need to pack.'

'You have nightmares anytime you don't have him,' Sirius reminded him about the stuffed penguin, 'and it'll be an adventure.'

'What sort of adventure?' Regulus asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

'One with treasure,' Sirius promised. 'And secret passages. Grandmother has a pipe organ that plays itself and there's a whole potions laboratory in their cellar. And three cats! And Grandfather has loads of cool things in his collection.'

'There are secret passages?' Regulus breathed.

His brother nodded. 'Two. I'll show you when we get there, now get Ferdinand and come on. Mother's waiting to take us.'

Invoking their mother always spurred Regulus into action. He hopped off the bed and crossed the landing to his own room, where he retrieved Ferdinand off his pillow. Clutching the plush toy, which squawked lovingly at his hug, he clattered down the stairs. Sirius grabbed his hat and his favourite toy, a winged dog that actually flew when released, and followed.

 

Grandfather Arcturus was a tall, slender man with sharp blue eyes and a thin smile. Grandmother Melania was a good deal shorter and heavier, and she wore her hair short and curly, so that she looked much softer, although Sirius knew this was something of an illusion. She was more indulgent than Mother, though, and that was definitely a plus. It meant they'd probably get all the helpings of pudding they wanted and be able to wheedle a couple extra hours' play before bedtime. He wasn't kidding about his grandparents' home, either. Grandfather had chosen a castle outside of Ilkeston, enchanted to look like a broken-down hotel, for their stronghold. A placard advertised that it was for sale, but whenever muggles tried to phone up the number, they got a garbled, confusing message telling them that it had been taken out of service.

Sirius had visited once before, when Reg had been very small and very ill, and they sent Sirius to stay so he didn't catch whatever it was that Reg had. He'd had a grand time chasing the cats and helping Grandfather putter about in his laboratories. There were no lessons at Grandmother and Grandfather's, either, which made it doubly fun. And Grandfather had told him all sorts of tales about dangerous and exciting places like Knockturn Alley, Carne Alley and Visker Alley in London, where warlocks met to discuss arcane lore and exchange obscure tomes on duelling technique and dark spellcraft. He even told of places farther away, outside of Britain. Grandfather and Grandmother had taken something called a Grand Tour for a honeymoon, travelling all over Europe, and had been to Transylvania and the Carpathian mountains, where they'd met vampires, and to Constantinople, where they'd learned about Turkish time-whirling, and to Gibraltar, where Grandmother had met her favourite scholar of the Ars Arcana, and Monaco, where the largest community of wizards in southern Europe lived in villas along the coast. He was looking forward to the visit, even if the prospect worried Reg.

Perhaps because it worried him.

 

Mother was waiting by the front foyer when they came downstairs. 'What kept you two?' she asked briskly as they entered. 'The carriage is waiting.'

'We're not going by Floo?' Reg asked. Sirius braced for Mother's angry reply, but she smiled at his brother as if trying to calm a skittish crup.

'Your grandfather disabled the Floo a year ago,' she said. 'Too many unwelcome callers. Now come along! Cloaks, hats, spit-spot, boys! I've got to get you there and back in an hour. Your father and I have to be at the station ourselves by two o'clock!'

She hustled them out the door, where Kreacher was pushing their bags onto the back of a rickety-looking hack. A dwarf sat at the top, holding reins that led nowhere.

'Thestrals?' Reg and Sirius both said excitedly. 'Can we pet--'

'No, you may not. Inside, both of you.'

They clambered up the runner-board and into the coach. Inside, it was pleasantly warm, appointed with large cushions and a small tray of biscuits and tea. Mother climbed in after them and the carriage lurched out of the square. At first the coach bounced so much that Sirius thought the teapot might fall right off the tray. But after a few minutes they had left London and the thestrals' motion grew smooth. Mother poured them each a cup of tea and sat sipping hers in quiet thought.

Reg stood on his knees to peer out the window. 'We're higher than anything!' he announced. 'Look, Sirius, you can see the Tower of London!'

'Where?' Sirius craned his neck to look over Reg's head. 'That's not the Tower of London, that's a muggle skyscraper.'

'It's the Tower,' Reg insisted.

'The Tower is by the river, goblin, do you _see_ a river nearby?'

'Sirius, stop taunting your brother," Mother said absently.

'But Mother, there's no river and he's--'

'He may be incorrect, but that's no reason to call him names. The name your father and I gave your brother is perfectly suitable.' She sipped her tea, eyes still half-closed.

Sirius scowled, but contented himself to simply say, 'Sit down, Reg,' using Mother's 'proper behaviour' voice. 'You'll tip us over.'

They each ate three biscuits by the time the carriage swooped down low and landed. It bumped up the road for five minutes until Sirius could see the 'To Let' sign protecting his grandparents' property.

As the carriage drew up to the gate, Grandmother Melania came out to greet them. Reg was out of the carriage almost before it stopped. All his previous reluctance seemed to disappear the moment the journey had begun. He tried to bound forward to the thestrals, but Grandmother caught him.

'Welcome, Regulus, Sirius - my, how you've both grown!' Grandmother gave each of them brisk hugs. 'I thought Orion would be coming with you, Walburga,' she told Mother in a voice that sounded disappointed.

'He had some last-minute affairs to manage at home, before we go,' Mother said. 'I'll be sure to tell him you were sorry not to see him.'

Grandmother looked like she might have something else to say, but before she could, Mother put both hands on Sirius’ shoulders. She knelt down to look him in the eye. ‘Now, look after your brother while you are here.’

‘Yes, Mother,’ Sirius answered blankly.

‘And remember that you are guests, this is not a playground.’

‘Yes, Mother,’ he said, a little more glumly.

‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ Grandmother clucked merrily. ‘We did manage to raise two children, after all.’

Mother smiled tightly up at Grandmother, but didn’t comment. She smoothed Sirius’s robes across his shoulders. ‘Behave,’ she reminded him, then planted a light kiss on his forehead and beckoned to Regulus. He had drifted toward the front of the carriage again, but came quickly into her arms when offered them. ‘You behave, too,’ she clarified to him.

‘You’re not rushing back off, already?’ Grandmother asked.

‘The carriage is waiting. I really must go. We’ll visit when we’re back, Auntie.’

‘Take a cup of tea, at least.’

‘Aunt Melania, there’s still so much to do….’

The dwarf who drove the carriage had unloaded their cases and left them by the gate. Sirius glanced from their bags to his mother, who seemed oddly flustered. Grandmother Melania was a good bit shorter than Mother, so it was curious to see Mother almost squirming under Grandmother’s gaze. He didn’t quite understand why she seemed so impatient, except that she and Father had been planning this trip for some time.

‘It’s all right,’ Sirius said to her gently tugging her sleeve a little. ‘You’ll have lots to tell about, when you come back.’

Mother looked at him in surprise, but then she smiled and petted his hair. ‘Quite right, my son. My good boy. Now, Mother has to go. Be good, both of you. We’ll send you lots of postcards!’ She set her foot on the carriage railing and climbed back in. The dwarf cracked the reins and the invisible thestrals trotted off. Moments later, it lifted off the ground and swung in a wide arc to turn for London. They watched it for a moment.

‘Well, come in, come in, boys,’ Grandmother said. ‘Sirius, you’ve been before, but your brother needs to know that our home is called “Black Motte” and is located on Ilkestone Downs.’

‘Whoa,’ Regulus said suddenly. Sirius knew that what had appeared to his brother to be an abandoned hotel now looked like a stately castle with a bailey and a tower.

Grandmother waved her wand and their bags floated up the walk ahead of them. Sirius looked south when they reached the front door; Mother’s carriage had shrunk into a dot on the horizon.

 

‘Now, remember, Sirius,’ Grandmother Melania said as they crossed the courtyard, ‘Clotho and Lachesis will come and sit with you, if you keep still long enough, but Atropos does not care to be petted. She’ll scratch you if you try.’

‘Who?’ Regulus whispered.

‘The cats,’ Sirius told him hurriedly. ‘Grandmother, is my room still the one at the top of the tower?’

‘Yes,’ she chuckled. ‘And Regulus, your room shall be just below your brother’s. Sirius, do you remember the way?’

‘I think so,’ Sirius said.

‘Then go and unpack, both of you, and come back to the kitchen for tea.’

Grandfather left his laboratory for tea, and there were cakes and biscuits both, and Grandfather wanted to know all about which spells they had learnt and which books they had read, what games they played and what they thought of their tutors.

Grandfather had heard all about their recent trip to Knockturn Alley, too. But where Mother and Father had been stern and cross, he and Grandmother laughed. ‘Little scamp,’ Grandfather said, touching Sirius on the nose lightly. ‘He’s the makings of a great sorcerer, Mellie,’ he said to Grandmother. ‘I don’t think Orion could have cast that powerful a stunning spell at his age.’

‘And you,’ Grandmother said to Regulus, ‘I suppose you didn’t expect to get your brother into quite so tight a spot.’

Regulus widened his eyes. ‘I didn’t—’

‘Oh-ho,’ she said merrily, but her eyes were sharp. ‘You had nothing to do with urging him to take you into Knockturn in the first place? No part in encouraging him to insult a hag or nick a valuable statue of Horus from Mr Burke?’

Reg dropped his biscuit. He looked accusingly at Sirius, who shrugged in just as much wonder.

‘No, I’ve not been scrying on you,’ Grandmother continued. ‘It so happens I was in Knockturn about two months ago, getting some supplies. Mr Burke told me how Orion brought you back in to apologise to him. And I ran into Lettie DeLessops shortly thereafter. She had more than a few words to tell me about my cheeky grandchildren!’ She poured more tea. ‘Never fear, it’s all right. Lettie deserves a bit of taking down, if you ask me. And as for Caractacus Burke, I’d half a mind to hex him myself, Sirius, after I heard what he’d threatened. Orion ought to have done _that_ , rather than bring you in to hang your head.’

‘Mellie,’ Grandfather said cautiously, ‘now let’s not get carried away. It was a harmless prank on our Sirius’ part, true, and Caractacus over-reacted. But he wasn’t at all in earnest, I believe. And as for you two, your father was right to bring you back. No sense making an enemy of a shopkeep. Next thing you know he’ll gouge you on any and every little thing you might wish to buy.’ He smiled and helped himself to another biscuit.

 

Sirius loved the view from his tower room. There was a seat carved into the wall next to the bed, just underneath the window with its lead-edged panels and graceful pointed peak. Down the hillside, he could see the lights of the Muggle village. It was easy to imagine himself the prince of some Medieval fiefdom, looking out on his father’s vast holdings, with serfs and a court to attend them.

He was still gazing between the earth and the stars when Regulus opened the door and crept up to sit beside him on the ledge. ‘Dreaming of your prince, come to take you away?’ Reg observed with a giggle.

‘What? Can’t you leave me alone for even half an hour, goblin?’ Sirius asked without real venom.

‘There’s a portrait in my room,’ Regulus said as Sirius budged up for him. ‘I think it’s Great-Aunt Elladora. She’s sort of frightful.’

‘Was she talking to you?’

Reg rested his head on Sirius’ shoulder. ‘Not _to_ me, so much as muttering a bit. Sort of like that Lettie hag in Knockturn.’

Sirius turned his head. He could smell his brother’s hair, the same soapy, clean smell that clung to his own skin when he came out of a bath. Reg hadn’t told Mother or Father, but Sirius knew that he’d had nightmares for about a week after they’d escaped Borgin and Burke’s, and even now, six months later, he still had one occasionally. Sometimes Kreacher had come to Reg’s room in the night; Sirius heard the elf’s urgent whispers to keep Reg from waking their parents. But once in a while Reg would run across the hall to Sirius’s room instead of calling for Kreacher, when he’d woken but hadn’t cried out. Grandmother and Grandfather talking about it must have upset him all over again.

He pointed up. ‘Look,’ he said, picking out a point between two bright spots in the sky. ‘See your star?’

Reg bit his lip. ‘No.’

‘It’s right there,’ Sirius pointed again. ‘Look, that’s Pluto, and there’s Uranus below it. And to the right, between them, that’s Regulus.’

‘The little one?’ Regulus asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘Where are you?’ Reg asked a few seconds later. Sirius knew what he meant. About a year ago, Regulus had finally connected that they were all named for stars, but he still tended to approach the topic as if they and their celestial counterparts were one and the same.

Sirius pointed far to the right. ‘Easy. Mine’s the really bright one, right there.’

Reg cocked his head at it. ‘D’you think they miss us already?’

It was Sirius’ turn to bite his lip. ‘Well, it’s only the first night. They’re probably still on the boat.’ He took a deep breath and sighed. ‘Tired?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Figure Aunt Elladora’s asleep by now?’

Sirius felt his shoulder grow cold as Reg withdrew his head. ‘She … might be asleep,’ he said doubtfully.

‘You could read up here, for a little while, if you want,’ Sirius offered.

Reg shrugged. ‘My books are downstairs,’ he mumbled. Then he yawned.

‘Did you brush your teeth yet?’

‘Yes,’ Reg said too quickly.

‘Really?’

He scowled. ‘…No.’

‘Well, go brush your teeth, get one of your books, and if she’s still muttering come back.’

‘Oh. Okay,’ Reg agreed, sounding somewhat surprised. Sirius had sort of surprised himself, too.

 

A few days later, Reg looked up from petting Lachesis. ‘Why don’t we have a cat?’

‘Because Mother hates cats,’ Sirius said, without putting down his book. He’d asked much the same question when he’d come to stay before.

‘Does she hate dogs, too? Could we ask for a puppy?’

‘Why? We’ve already got you,’ Sirius muttered.

‘Ha-ha,’ Reg replied, rolling his eyes. ‘Where are they supposed to be now?’

Three days before they’d left, Sirius had nicked his parents’ itinerary from Father’s desk and copied it out onto another parchment, so he and Reg would have it. He’d had to sneak it back before Father missed it and nearly got caught, but he’d told Father he was looking for a place to hide something he’d made for Reg’s birthday, which miraculously had worked. He’d shown the hastily copied list to Reg that night, after Reg had whinged something awful about getting packed off to Grandmother and Grandfather’s.

Sirius flipped to the back of his book, where he’d put the scrap of parchment. ‘The Carpathians,’ he read.

‘Where’s that?’

‘Transylvania. Maybe they’ll bring back a vampire’s fangs.’

‘That’d be good,’ Reg agreed. He scratched the cat’s ears thoughtfully. ‘They haven’t sent any postcards.’

Sirius folded up the parchment and put it back between the pages. ‘Well, if they have, the owls haven’t come yet.’ He looked up at Reg, who was still petting the cat, but watching Sirius carefully. Sirius swallowed. ‘Er, maybe they can’t get in past the protections.’

Reg smiled. ‘Yeah, that’s got to be it.’

Sirius hoped that would be the end of it, but later that day, Reg asked Grandfather while they were helping him chop up beetroots and fiddlenecks for a potion he was brewing.

‘No, owls can find us,’ he said amiably. ‘If you two want to go flying tomorrow, I don’t think it’s going to rain.’

‘We’re not all—’

‘Flying would be great, Grandfather,’ Sirius said quickly. ‘Have you got brooms?’

 

They weren’t allowed to fly in the square, but then there wasn’t much space there, anyway. Reg wasn’t really allowed to take out anything faster than a Shooting Star, but Sirius knew he had asked for a Swiftstick because then Mother wouldn’t worry about it going too high. Sirius himself had asked for a Cleansweep Five – the newest broom on the market – but he didn’t expect he’d get it, even as a combined birthday and Christmas present. Father had mentioned something about a new company and somehow its model would maybe make the Cleansweep more affordable, but the main thing was he thought Sirius was still too young for his own racer, especially when there was no where to race it _to_.

Here the nearest neighbours were a half-mile down the road, in the village, so they could fly all they wanted, provided they stayed to the west of the bailey. Sirius rummaged through the cupboard and found a broom that didn’t completely dwarf Reg, then selected a sturdy Silver Arrow for himself. It was a crisp day, but they tossed a quaffle back and forth for a solid half-hour and then chased a Snitch for a while longer, before they both felt wind-blown and cold enough to go back in.

Grandmother’s elf had laid tea for them down in the kitchen, including chocolate and marshmallow to melt in it. They dunked their sugary fluff in the cocoa and tucked in greedily to the sandwiches.

‘There still haven’t been any owls,’ Reg commented between bites.

‘Well, the Carpathian mountains aren’t exactly the easiest place to find an owl,’ Sirius reasoned.

Reg studied his chocolate. ‘D’you think they miss us at all?’ he asked plaintively.

Sirius put down his sandwich. ‘They’re probably … really … busy.’ Even he knew how lame it sounded.

‘Well, they better bring us back lots of presents,’ Reg announced.

‘Sure they will.’ Sirius smiled. It wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility.

‘What about a vampire puppy?’ Reg asked, deadpan. Sirius looked in his brother’s eyes, and they both burst out laughing.


End file.
